The library might as well have been her second home. As much time as she had spent there, she was surprised they even asked to see her library card anymore. She had never even had a late fee, had never forgotten a good book. She had practically spent her whole life reading.
Ever since she could remember, her mother had brought her along into the library and it had become her refuge. Through anything and everything. Through school, and long long after.
She had made her way through several sections already, too many novels to count, and topics ranging from animal husbandry to x ray technology and far beyond. Her new obsession over the last few weeks were the stars, the origins of their names and their meaning.
She was nearly through an encyclopedia of the constellations when she began to smell smoke. At first, she thought nothing of it, the heater was old and had always been old, made the whole library smell like burnt ash for the first few weeks it was on and even through the winter months a whiff here or there would linger.
The year had just rolled over into the cold months, so it was no surprise, but somehow it was different. This smoke smelled different, felt different, much warmer than simply the heater. When it began to become difficult to read, she knew something was wrong.
She remembered what she had read about fire safety years ago and ducked low crawling toward the exit, but it was getting harder and harder to see the further she went. She couldn’t be sure if she was in the non fiction or the fiction section or the R’s or the C’s. It was all way too confusing in the dark smoke. She looked up to try and find where she was and where the nearest exit was, but the smoke was too thick, too black. But then, it began to change before her eyes.
She stared at bit too long and rubbed her eyes. Were those words?
THIS WAY —->
It had to be too much smoke inhalation. Buildings couldn’t talk, couldn’t direct people out when they were in a panic. She had to be hallucinating. But she didn’t have any other options. She went the way the words requested.
<——THIS WAY
Through several twists and turns, and directions within the smoke, she found her way out in the nick of time. As she burst through the double doors to safety. As she took her first clear deep breath in a while, she was sure she saw words in the last burst of smoke.
TELL OTHERS OF OUR STORIES, KEEPER OF WORDS.
